After 3 years off the bike, I finally tried riding again. I used to crank out 30–100 miles a week—now I can barely manage 5. Went from 215 to 245 lbs. I feel bad for my “new to me” Aethos—it deserves a better rider. My wife had to Medivac me home.
How long did it take you to get back into the groove?
by Cultural_Parsley_542
47 Comments
It takes me about three weeks working hard in the spring to get in top shape. Riding on the indoor rollers and on the ice and snow outside just don’t result in meeting fitness goals. Sorry about the crash. Hope it didn’t hurt too much so you could enjoy the helicopter ride.
Try 6, or even 5-and-a-half next time?
Gst your wife to drive you to that point, maybe getting home will motivate you to go a bit further…
Are you staying in zone 2 (or even 1)? Make sure you stay at a conversational pace.
You’ll get there!
I can imagine it is hard to start again. I never stopped for three years but had a rough year last year where I skipped working out. Picked it up and just went riding twice a week. I focussed on having fun, not on distance or speed, at least an hour. After a couple of months I noticed I got in better shape and could do some interval training etc. Actually kept on focussing on fun and the speed and distance came as a bonus.
I hope you can find the motivation to keep it up. And I especially hope you have fun keeping it up 🙂
Don’t be too hard on yourself. This needs time, practice and patience. Do it step by step. Only what matters is that you have the fire for the bike again 🔥
Keep riding, but also start walking a lot, any cardio is good cardio when you’re getting back into it.
Keep at it. You’ll get it back and more.
Three weeks of consistency forms a habit
Use a heart rate monitor! It can be a cheap Amazon special that pairs to your phone or a smart watch or whatever, but while you’re trying to get back into it, make sure you can glance at that number while you’re riding.
I had a similar experience after a couple “low exercise” years when my kid was born. Figuring out where I needed to keep my heart rate slowed me way down (felt like I was crawling compared to where my fitness used to be), but that allowed me to put in enough miles to rebuild that base.
3 years off the bike & you added an extra 30 lbs. – go easy on yourself & start off easy on the rides. Little by little you will start to feel better, less winded & you will make progress.
Set some short term goals like – I will ride my bike 2 times this week, even if it’s only around the block a few times! Every time that you get out there and ride it will help in more ways than you can imagine, it will take some time for your body to get back into the groove & as that happens you will find that your mental & physical health will improve.
Remember this – Hills hurt but the couch kills!
Well all I can say as you get older it takes a lot longer to get back where one was. Don’t give up do it gradually you’ll get there.
Keep at it mate
So far, 3 years give or take. I’m up to 18 miles before needed CPR and immediate replacement of my Sit Bones 🦴 and my Arse. (Bum or Ass for our colonial ancestors) I’m 57 and I have a pretty wikkid Autoimmune disease that makes healing a challenge. Your mileage may vary. I’m literally running out the door to cycle down to the next town over, about 18 miles 🤩 away. Keep at it and do a little bit more everyday. Consistency in your periphery is the key.
Hey man, getting back on the bike after 3 years takes guts. 5 miles isn’t failure. It’s a restart, and that’s way more than most people do. Don’t compare to your past self. He’s not your rival. He‘s your teammate waiting for you to catch up.
Your Aethos isn’t mad. It’s just glad to roll again. You’ve already won by showing up. Keep pedaling. Don’t put to much pressure on yourself. Have a slow start. You’ve got this bro!
Slow down, don’t let past glories blind you
That fact that you actually got out there is a major start. Keep it going.
I’ve been there and done that. You have to start slow and build back up. Maybe a month of consistently riding 20 miles, then up it 5 or ten miles a week.
I only gained like 3-6 pounds after not riding for some weeks and I already feel out of shape…
Keep it up!
Man i was in the same situation. I biked 20 miles a day for 15 years, and then I stopped for 2 years (life shit). I gained 45lbs and got pretty weak. About 2 years ago I was lent a bike, and I could barely ride. I felt so dejected. But last year I bought an e-bike and I’ve ridden it consistently for the past year, and finally a few weeks ago i bought a regular road bike, and I felt so much better. I could ride again. I’m riding about 70-100 miles a week on it and I feel great. The e-bike was amazing, and got me out and riding again. If you have the means I would highly recommend an e-bike to get back in shape!
Go for slow and steady don’t try to race. Keep the heart rate low and you will get the endurance back. Low gears fast cadence. Don’t stress the knees etc.
Starting up in the spring every year is brutal. Get yourself an inexpensive trainer to hook the bike up to at home so you can hop on when you have spare time. It’ll really help you get back into to the rhythm again
If you have an indoor trainer that will help with the convenience to build up frequency and miles and overall fitness to make your outdoor rides more enjoyable.
I am 100% in the same boat. I have to down grade from my old bikes because they are too aggressive and I can’t ride them anymore. Add to that I am horribly out of shape. I rode 10 miles at 12 mph average, I used to ride 40 at 18 mph for a comfort ride. It’s frustrating but it will come back.
It only takes 1-2 rides to be able to go a few miles again without running out of breath and energy — that first burst of progress is crazy fast. Don’t give up yet.
Just keep at it, a little at a time, it will come back. Might take two weeks, might take two months, it don’t matter. Just ride. You have the rest of your life to get where you want to be.
Smart training in the winters. Keeps you fresh.
I think the most important thing here is keeping at it. I used to be like you too. Easily knocking out a 60+ mile weekend ride almost every weekend (or other weekend) after a 40mile weekly commute. Now I struggle hitting 30miles for a weekend ride.
Like you too – I have been off the bike a long time but im pretty keen to rebuild my fitness.
Dont give up. start off with short rides and slowly build up to longer rides.
Hey dude. Nearly identical story here. Nearly the same weight gain and timeframe as well. Just got back on the bike this weekend. I forced myself to keep a leisurely pace, 7-8 mph uphill and 10-12mph downhill. Managed 12 miles round trip and it was still a real effort. Don’t give up!
Buddy, some of us gain 30lbs in three MONTHS of not riding. Keep your head up and don’t be so hard on yourself. They’re called seasons for a reason, be it weather or life, they’re not forever. You make the choice to be better or feel sorry for yourself.. You’ve still got breath in your lungs to get out of bed, movement in your limbs and a wife that loves you enough to come get you. Enjoy and cherish each day like it’s your last and don’t let the minor disappointments in the moment keep your mind from recognizing the blessings you’re surrounded by each and every day.
You lose it fast, but it comes back fast too. Don’t think about how much fitness you’ve lost, think about how quick the gains will be over the next few months.
You’ve got this. You can get it back
I’m in the same boat. Used to knock out centuries weekly with little to no prep. Covid lockdowns and various issues with mental health kept me off the bike for a few years, and I’ve just got started again. After 30 minutes I’m done. It’s embarrassing, but it’s not without reason
Cycling fitness is like pushing a boulder up a hill and holding it there; it’s incredibly difficult to maintain and when you stop, you lose it rapidly.
My advice as someone who’s been in your situation many times is just go out and ride for a few weeks.
Turn off all the electronics, don’t add it to Strava, don’t worry about metrics, just go ride around. Ride a couple of miles, grab a coffee, find a nice park bench and drink it, and just appreciate being outside. Get the feel and flow back, get your legs and body used to the bike — enjoy yourself.
After a couple of weeks, you can start ramping it up. Some LSD rides, start adding some intervals and climbs into your rides, then maybe target a longer group ride or charity ride and see how it goes.
I assume you’re not going to race, so don’t take it all too seriously — it’s supposed to be fun.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/s/scFjypZGhb
My post may help your mental approach
Yeah, I hear ya. I am riding 50 pounds heavier after years off the bike. It sucks. There’s no way around it.
But, you got on the bike. You have a new baseline. 5 miles? Great. That’s where you’re at. Let go of the ego of where you used to be at, because you’re not there. Instead, you get to measure yourself next ride against this baseline. Throw on a HR monitor. Buy a power meter if you have the disposable income. Collect data, and watch your own improvement from here.
I’m 9 weeks in. Still not going to crush my old PRs, but I’m setting new ones against my new baseline weekly. I’m riding for the joy of riding, and my body is remembering how to respond. It’s a long path, friend, but the only way you fail is if you don’t get back on that bike.
The answer is… as long as it takes. It isn’t about the destination my friend it’s about the journey. Stay on it! Take it slowly!
The trick is to keep it enjoyable, stay (almost) comfy! Before you know it you’ll be back and above, it’s mainly a mental struggle as long as you’re fighting the distance and don’t care about any times?
Greg Lemond once said, “It doesn’t get easier, you just go faster.”
I always think about that when I’m starting bike again after a long break. It’s frustrating, but you’ll be shocked how quickly you improve.
The whole “I’m not fast enough for my bike” is only a way to put yourself down—nobody else is thinking that. Keep going!
Dude, you look young(ish).
Take this as a lesson to never again get overweight or stop exercising.
It takes YEARS off your life. The number one impact on your health is your weight. Biggest impact on weight is your diet.
Become an expert on nutrition (as much as you can be). And get on Zwift (for consistency).
Good luck. Start now. Future you will thank you.
So I’m 276 lbs, clearly not an ideal weight for cycling. About 80 lbs overweight for my frame. I started cycling about two months ago after zero exercise in the past decade. Before riding I had lost nearly 85 lbs. I started with 5 miles for a couple rides, but all concrete trails. Then up to 10 miles per ride for a week, then 15, and now 20-25 miles consistently. Been riding 5ish times a week. Keep at it, work your way up to it. You’ve got this.
Wives are great! You didn’t say where you are, what the weather conditions are. Here in NJ, it’s 90F+.
I’m in a similar ish position. I weigh just under 100kg at 170cm. Got back into cycling 6 weeks ago and dropped to 99.6kg….i was 104 at this point. Bidyfat down about 3% and what started as feeling 10km rides as decent, I just done 38km yesterday and honestly, could have done more.
Keep yourself in Zone 2 and 3. Don’t flatline at threshold type heart zones. If your going to redline, you’re just going to gas out. Slow it down, enjoy the ride and let the mileage slowly tick up. It WILL come together. Been there and done that.
Just to add, assuming you’ve a heart monitor to aim at your heart rate zones. If you don’t, do get one. Essential kit for focused training.
I started back on my trainer at home and lifting weights (and eating healthy). A few months of that and I was feeling great to get back on the bike. It helped that it was winter when I restarted. I highly recommend a cheap dumb bike trainer for training consistency and ease. I’ve been able to pick them up used for like $30.
You are probably going very high intensity for your body to recover from. Lower the intensity to go long distance., after you do this for few months then you can play with intervals etc.,
I was 265, 232 now, what used to be a really hard 30 miles is a coffee ride in the morning., did couple centuries this month, one in heat and barely finished and another in medium intensity and finished with plenty in the tank.
Keep it up, bro. Same thing happened to me. It’s going to suck, but gets better each ride. Do a lot of unweighted squats, and stretch a lot, too.
Getting back into it is one of the hardest things ever.
You’re just simply out of shape and your speeds and accomplishments are no-where near your past PRs. It’s a bit defeating. And the fact that once-easy stuff is now just *hard*.
But start planning for some achievable goals and work on those one at a time. Start small and you’ll eventually be back into the groove.
I busted my knee in the spring. I tried biking around my neighborhood this weekend. I started to ache after two blocks, felt like my butt was bleeding, and my back hurts the next day. You are not alone, we can get back together!